Case studies
Case Study – Diane and Steve
Diane never had any trouble sleeping. In her early forties, life was busy with a busy job and even busier family. Her full life meant full nights of restful sleep, until cancer changed it all.
Diane was diagnosed with cancer in her neck in mid-2010. A blur of surgery and radiation followed, with her emotions and fears scrambling to catch up. She finally got the “all clear” from doctors and started to believe that her life would go on. And then the snoring started.
Diane had never snored and yet now Steve was being regularly woken through the night by Diane’s loud snoring. Initially they thought that this was a small price to pay for Diane’s health, but it soon created issues. Steve would spend some nights in the spare room, and it seemed to be getting worse.
After discussing the issue with her doctors, Diane went for a sleep study. The surgery that had removed her tumours had changed the shape of her neck and had interfered with some of the muscles that form the upper airway. Diane now had sleep apnea. Read More…
Case Study – Robert
Robert was as shocked as anyone to be diagnosed with sleep apnea.
He’s in his early 40s, keeps fit, eats properly and has no other health problems. Except that he was increasingly sleepy during the day. And it was starting to become an issue at work and at home.
So, being proactive about his health, Robert went for a sleep study and was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. The condition and the likely prognosis was explained to him. He was relieved that it wasn’t something more serious. Read More…
Case Study – David
David is a senior gent who is proudly an OBE (that’s “Over Bloody Eighty” in his words).
He was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea about five years ago. But when he was diagnosed and put onto CPAP, he really struggled.
David has a large nose with sharply sloping cheeks and had real difficulty finding a mask, any mask, that could fit over his nose and seal on his cheeks. Read More…
Case Study – Alison
Alison is no stranger to sleep apnea. Her father was a heavy snorer and displayed the typical breathing pauses and gasping breaths at night for as long as Alison can remember. Alison’s father was never diagnosed or treated.
Alison’s sister was diagnosed and had been on CPAP for a couple of years. In late 2008, Alison began to suspect that her blood pressure, diabetes and sleepiness were symptoms of sleep apnea. Her local doctor was reluctant to consider this possibility because Alison is not overweight and is otherwise healthy; it seems that misconceptions about sleep apnea are widespread and even the medical community can misread the signs. Read More…
Case Study – Trevor
Trevor knows a lot about sleep apnea.
Not only does Trevor have sleep apnea, he has also worked in the industry for many years and knows how elusive a “perfect” mask is to find.
Trevor is also a mouth-breather. He normally uses a full-face mask to control the air leaking out of his mouth during sleep. Getting Trevor into a nasal-only mask like the TrueFITTM Custom Mask was a challenge. Read More…